More Sleepless Nights

Last month I blogged about the National Foundation for Credit Counseling’s Mortgage Reality Check. They’ve released the latest results.

Things are not getting better.

78 percent of the respondents said they had trouble sleeping because of worry about their current financial situation, the possibility of losing their home or car, or their ability to use credit. This is an increase of 16 percent over the November and December 2007 findings.

69 percent of consumers taking the poll said they do not believe that refinancing their home will resolve their financial dilemma. This is an increase of 8 percent.

More than half of the respondents, 59 percent, owe more on their home than it is worth, up by 11 percent.

The category reflecting how many people had skipped paying some bills in order to pay others grew by 10 percent.

NFCC said the number of survey participants who fell into the most distressed category – the RED one – “immediate advice or assistance is recommended” increased by 12 percent since January.

Results come from more than 4000 surveys taken at the Web site www.housinghelpnow.org

Often, when something’s causing anxiety it’s better do something about it. Ask questions and educate yourself. Sell whatever it is that is causing you financial pain. Even if you have to take a loss you will stop the bleeding. And when all else fails get a sleep mask and ear plugs.